


belonging

by slytherfuck



Category: Penny Dreadful (TV)
Genre: Absinthe, F/M, Kissing, Love Confessions, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-13 03:28:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19242883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherfuck/pseuds/slytherfuck
Summary: Victor and Vanessa find each other at a party. They drink, they discuss love and they kiss under the moonlight.





	belonging

Victor received the invitation yesterday. It was a beautiful golden envelope that smelled faintly of roses. He has heard of the grandeur of Mr. Gray's soirées, but he had never had the privilege of attending. Until now. The problem was that, due to the short notice of the letter, he had no time to find a proper suit. So, sadly, he had to borrow one from his much richer friend, too large at the shoulders and with a questionable stain barely covered by his vest. Talk about a good first impression.

When he stepped in the room, the valet, he thinks, announcing him simply as "Mr. Victor Frankenstein", he was blown away by how expensive it all looked and how insignificant and inappropriate he felt. It was as if, with his tattered shoes, he somehow could permanently stain the pristine floor.

He soon found himself in the presence of Dorian Gray and a gorgeous lady called Angelique, if he remembered correctly. He didn't get to do much talking, as the two were completely captivated by each other, but he did get to watch their playful flirting with fondness. People call him emotionless, but Victor is, in fact, quite taken by romance, and he devours love stories, although he hates tragic endings. He supposes he has always dreamed of a love so great, but he has yet to decide whether he wants to love or be loved like that.

He excuses himself after some time, and finds himself walking about the room, observing the attendants. Women with rosy cheeks and lovely coloured dresses and men with strong scents and crisp suits surround him, and he finds himself doubting of his own person yet again, even while completely enamored by the beauty around him. One woman, he sees, stands out. She is with her back towards him, but the simple black dress, with subtle green accents, and her revealed back make his head spin, and the grace with which she carries herself makes him wonder how it would feel to have her undivided attention.

But, when she turns around, he realises just how lucky he was. He hadn't recognised her with her hair down, but it was Mrs. Ives herself. Ever since he has met her, Victor can't stop thinking about her.

She spots him too, and she grins. He smiles back, his face warm. Buy then she makes her way toward him and _oh my God does she really want to talk to me?_

"Good evening, doctor. I did not know you were acquainted with Mr. Gray."

"To be quite honest, miss Ives, I did not know that either. I mean, we did share a chat once, but it was brief and I wasn't expecting him to remember my name. But then I received an invitation and I told myself I couldn't miss this opportunity."

As he rambled, he noticed Vanessa eyeing him rather fondly, up and down, like he was some sort of statue, and he found he rather enjoyed being looked at like that. Under her gaze he didn't seem to be as unconfident as before. She smiled conspiratively, and she leaned, whispering something only for his ears.

"You look amazing tonight."

Victor shivered. The last time he had been told he looked amazing… Well, he had been really young. He hadn't noticed just how starved for affection he really had been.

Then, Vanessa drew back, and continued on, like she hadn't just turned Victor's world upside down with just a few words. 

"I believe Mr. Gray has some absinthe around here somewhere. I'm not much of a drinker, but Mr. Chandler has told me it's delicious. Care to share with me?"

How could he have said no? With a smile, he let himself be whisked away toward a table in the center of the room. Vanessa's hand on his forearm felt as if it would leave a mark. He had had absinthe before, and he clumsily showed her how to enjoy it. Victor watched as Vanessa sipped, as her face twisted for a moment and then how she laughed gleefully. He hadn't seen her so happy in too long a time.

After a few more sips, Victor started to feel pleasantly buzzed, and he could see a blush forming on Vanessa's cheeks. She took his forearm again and guided him, this time away from the people he had stopped noticing every since Vanessa came up to him. The chilly November air hit him as they stepped into a hidden balcony, and Victor groaned as he started to cool down. Vanessa leaned on the railing, arching her back as she rested her elbows on the cool stone, and Victor found himself stuck in place by the sight of her sitting like that.

He coughed, violently blushing and cringing at his thoughts. She didn't deserve some drunkard like he was at the moment thinking of her in such manner. No less someone she thought of as a friend.

Vanessa then turned around and observed him. He could notice a faint smile that may have just been a result of the drinking. 

"Everything alright, Victor?"

He choked at the sound of his name from her. She had never called him Victor before. He liked it very much, he decided.

"Not a thing." He said, his voice a little high, as he joined her on the railing. 

They sat, in silence, watching the party go by without them. Victor could feel Vanessa's presence in his bones, even if they weren't touching at all. God, how he hoped they had been touching. He briefly wondered how many people would have killed to be in his place right now. Vanessa was breathtaking, and Victor had been half in love with her ever since they met. 

The moon shone above them. The night was still and silent and he feared she could hear the thumping of his heart. He heard her sigh.

"Have you ever been in love?"

He looked at her, eyes wide. She just gazed straight ahead. Despite the chill, Victor started to sweat under his collar.

"Define love."

"Well, I suppose it starts with attraction. A passing fancy, if you will. Afterwards, you can't stop thinking about them, wondering where they are and what they are doing, and hoping they were with you. Maybe you'd start wanting to share every moment, good or bad, with them. And then, whenever they are near, you just ache to feel their touch."

She was still looking straight ahead, fidgeting with her hands. Victor's mouth was dry.

"Well, then. I suppose I've been in love. I still am, I reckon."

Vanessa turns toward him then, with her whole body. There's something akin to fire in her eyes.

"Me too" She whispers.

Victor's brain shuts down then. His body takes over, and it yearns to touch Vanessa. So, he takes her hand, brings it to his mouth, and kisses it. He kisses it like he were kissing her lips. She shivers, and pride blooms in him. He kisses her forearm, then, and the inside of her elbow, and her shoulder, and her neck. He feels her breath hitch. A kiss on her earlobe. One on her temple. She looks at him with pleading eyes and he whispers "May I?" and she kisses him instead, not forcefully, not softly, but in between. They don't fight for dominance, they don't open their mouths. It's just a press of lips, but it's so much more. 

When they part, they look at each other. In her eyes, he finds belonging. In his eyes, she finds security.

**Author's Note:**

> ever since that seance episode i can't stop thinking about how good they would look together.
> 
>  
> 
> also i'm on tumblr @legitpotato if you like utter garbage.


End file.
